Ingredients
- 10 chicken drummettes (often sold 10 to a pack); double the ingredients if you like more sauce or want to make more drummettes; I typically will make 20 at a time, so you can double the entire recipe)
- 1 cup of water or chicken stock
- 1 Tbsp dark molasses
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar (or 1/2 tbsp if you like it less sweet, really!)
- 1 Tbsp brown rice syrup (corn free Sweet Dreams organic brown rice syrup from Lundberg is my choice, as I called the manufacturer to determine process and assurance that it is corn free)
- 1 Tsp maple syrup
- 2–3 Tsp of crushed chili flakes (I use allium free flakes)
- 1–2 Tsp grapeseed oil
- 2 Tbsp water (a little more to change the viscosity is fine)
- 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (more if you want a more sour taste)
- 1 Tsp arrowroot flour (added on the second pass of basting remaining sauce after broiling the chicken
- Optional: finely chopped parsley for serving, finger-sized celery and carrots for a party platter, mashed avocado instead of ranch dressing
Instructions
In the Instant Pot, place a small amount of oil* instead of butter in the bottom of the liner and press the Saute setting. When the oil is hot, sear the chicken, turning the drummettes every few minutes until lightly browned on all sides (about five minutes). Remove the chicken to a plate.
Place water or chicken stock in the InstantPot liner and place the rack at the bottom. Return the chicken to the rack, seal the InstantPot lid for pressure cooking, and cook at high pressure on Manual setting for about 9 minutes. Do a quick release when it is finished.
While the Instant Pot is cooking the chicken, place all the other ingredients except the arrowroot flour (hold until later) in a saucepan on medium heat, making sure it is well combined. The sauce should not be thick because it has no emulsifier or starch in it; the heat will keep the ingredients looking like a thin marinade. Remove from heat.
Set the oven to Broil, high setting, middle rack.
When the chicken is done in the InstantPot, dip each drummette in the marinade and place on a wire rack on a drip pan. Place the broiling pan in the oven and broil for 7-8 minutes. If they do not appear browned enough, broil 2-3 minutes longer. Remove from oven.
You should have some remaining sauce in the saucepan. Return to the stove on medium heat. Add the arrowroot flour to the remaining sauce in the sauce pan, stirring quickly to add air. In combination with the heat, the sauce should begin to thicken. If it turns into a paste quickly, remove from heat immediately. The sauce consistency should allow you to baste the broiled drummettes directly.
Top the drummettes or wings with chopped parsley, and serve with carrot and celery sticks or other raw vegetables. Instead of Ranch style dressing, you can serve the veggies with fork-mashed avocado, or make your own simple dressing from a mixture of olive oil, Rice vinegar, your favorite mustard (check the ingredients for your food allergens!), and if you want sweet, use honey or maple syrup.
